X-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An X-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus comprises a display unit that processes a received X-ray moving image and instantaneously displays the moving image; a storing unit that stores the received moving image as a non-processed raw image; an instructing unit that instructs the raw image to be referred to from the stored raw images; a second display unit that processes the instructed raw image and displays the processed raw image; a changing unit that changes the image process in the second display unit; a second storing unit that stores image process information obtained by the changing unit in association with the instructed raw image; a second instructing unit that instructs the raw image to be transferred from the stored raw images; and a transferring unit that executes the image process associated by the second storing unit to the instructed raw image and transfers the processed raw image to a destination.

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 13/293,218,filed Nov. 10, 2011. It claims benefit of that application under 35U.S.C. § 120, and claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of JapanesePatent Application No. 2010-260965 filed on Nov. 24, 2010. The entirecontents of each of the mentioned prior applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an X-ray fluoroscopic radiographingapparatus and a method which can instruct an optimum image process atthe time of reference or transfer.

Description of the Related Art

An X-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus for performing afluoroscopic radiographing in a real-time manner for the purpose of IVR(Interventional Radiology) or the like is constructed by an X-ray imagepickup apparatus and a display control apparatus. In an X-ray imagepickup apparatus in the related art, analog data is transferred to adisplay control apparatus via a video signal by using an analog imagepickup tube or a CCD coupled with an image intensifier and an image isdisplayed to a CRT monitor or the like in an analog manner. In recentyears, digitalization has progressed and a flat panel sensor (FPD) hasbeen substituted by the image intensifier (+ analog image pickup tube orCCD). The CRT monitor has also been substituted by a high precisionliquid crystal monitor via a DVI (Digital Visual Interface).

In this manner, a full digital system which can perform operations fromthe radiographing to the display is being constructed. Generally, animage process (recursive process) for synthesizing an image in a timebase direction is executed to a moving image radiographed in such anapparatus for the purpose of noise suppression. For example, there is adisclosure regarding the recursive process in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. 2008-219654.

With respect to a moving image which was fluoroscopically radiographedby the X-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus, processing contentsof an image process such as a recursive process or the like can bechanged before or during the fluoroscopic radiographing. However, in theapparatus in the related art, only the processed image to which therecursive process or the like has already been executed is stored.Therefore, such operations that the image before the image process isobtained, the processing contents of the image process are adjusted, andthe image process is executed cannot be performed. However, there issuch a demand that the user wants to enable the recursive process to beadjusted in order to improve a diagnosis ability even after thefluoroscopic radiographing or the user wants to adjust the image processat each of the time of reference and the time of image transfer. Forexample, there is such a demand that at the time of reference, even ifan after-image was left, the user wants to refer to the noise-suppressedimage. On the other hand, in the case of a film output, there is such ademand that even if noises of a certain extent are permitted, the userwants to suppress the after-image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of the abovesituation, and has as its object to obtain an image in which auser-desired image process has been executed to a raw image obtainedfrom an X-ray image radiographing apparatus.

In order to achieve the object, the invention provides with an X-rayfluoroscopic radiographing apparatus comprising: an instantaneousdisplay unit that processes a received X-ray moving image andinstantaneously displays the processed moving image; a raw image storingunit that stores the received X-ray moving image as a non-processed rawimage; a reference image instructing unit that instructs the raw imageto be referred to from the raw images stored by the raw image storingunit; a reference image display unit that processes the raw imageinstructed by the reference image instructing unit and displays theprocessed raw image; an image process changing unit that changes theimage process in the reference image display unit; an image processinformation storing unit that stores image process information obtainedby the change by the image process changing unit in association with theinstructed raw image; a transfer image instructing unit that instructsthe raw image to be transferred from the stored raw images; and an imagetransferring unit that executes the image process associated by theimage process information storing unit to the raw image instructed bythe transfer image instructing unit and transfers the processed rawimage to a transfer destination.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate thesame or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic construction of an X-rayfluoroscopic radiographing apparatus in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence in the case ofradiographing in a setting of instantaneously storing.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence in the case ofradiographing in a mode of selecting a frame which is stored later.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence at the time of imagereference.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence at the time of imagetransfer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of image instructions of areference image instructing unit and a transfer image instructing unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of image instructionsof the reference image instructing unit and the transfer imageinstructing unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating contents of a recursive process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the recursive process.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a frame management system in therecursive process in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another schematic construction of theX-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus in the embodiment of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail in accordance with the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1

FIGS. 1 and 11 are block diagrams each illustrating a construction of anX-ray fluoroscopic radiographing apparatus according to the embodiment.

First, a flow of a radiographing in the case where a mode in which animage is instantaneously stored has previously been set by a storingmethod instructing unit 1101 (FIG. 11) will be described with referenceto a sequence of FIG. 2. An X-ray moving image transmitted from an X-raysensor 101 is received (S201) by a receiving unit 102. An image processis executed by an instantaneous display unit 103 and a processed imageis displayed to a monitor (S202). At this time, the image process can beadjusted (S203) in an image process changing unit 104. Image processinformation obtained by the adjustment by the image process changingunit 104 is stored (S204) into a database (hereinbelow, abbreviated to“DB”) 108 by an image process information storing unit 107. A raw imagewhich was received by the receiving unit 102 and is not subjected to theimage process is stored (S205) into a hard disk (hereinbelow,abbreviated to “HD”) 106 by a raw image storing unit 105. At this time,the image process information and the raw image are stored inassociation with each other.

Subsequently, a flow of a radiographing in the case where a mode inwhich after the radiographing, an image is selected and stored haspreviously been set by the storing method instructing unit 1101 will bedescribed with reference to a sequence of FIG. 3. The X-ray moving imagetransmitted from the X-ray sensor 101 is received (S301) by thereceiving unit 102. The image process is executed by the instantaneousdisplay unit 103 and the processed image is displayed to the monitor(S302). At this time, the image process can be adjusted (S303) in theimage process changing unit 104. After the reception, a frame group tobe stored is selected from the received frame groups by an arbitraryimage storage instructing unit 1102 (S304) and stored into the HD 106(S305) by the raw image storing unit 105. If at least one frame groupwas selected (S306) by the arbitrary image storage instructing unit1102, the image process information is stored into the DB 108 (S307) bythe image process information storing unit 107. At this time, the imageprocess information and the raw image are stored in association witheach other.

A flow in the case of referring to the image stored by one of the abovetwo kinds of storing methods will be described with reference to asequence of FIG. 4. When the image selecting instruction (S401) isissued by a reference image instructing unit 110, a reference imagedisplay unit 109 extracts the raw image corresponding to the selectinginstruction from the HD 106, extracts the image process information fromthe DB 108 (S402), executes the image process to the raw image, anddisplays the processed image to the monitor (S403). At this time, theimage process can be adjusted (S404) in the image process changing unit104. The image process information obtained by the adjustment by theimage process changing unit 104 is stored into the DB 108 (S405) by theimage process information storing unit 107.

A flow in the case of transferring the image stored by one of the abovetwo kinds of storing methods will be described with reference to asequence of FIG. 5. In response to the image selecting instruction(S501) by a transfer image instructing unit 112, an image transferringunit 111 extracts the corresponding raw image from the HD 106, extractsthe image process information from the DB 108 (S502), executes the imageprocess to the raw image, instructs a transfer destination (S503), andtransfers (S504). As a transfer destination, an image storagecommunication system PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System)which is used in a medical treatment, a printer, another system, or thelike is presumed.

In the constructions illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 11, the apparatus hasone image process changing unit 104 and can individually change (adjust)the image process in the instantaneous display unit 103, reference imagedisplay unit 109, and image transferring unit 111. Further, in the aboveconstruction, the apparatus has one image process information storingunit 107 and can individually store the image process informationobtained by the above individual change (adjustment) by the imageprocess changing unit 104. Besides the instantaneous display unit 103,the image process changing unit 104 and the image process informationstoring unit 107 may be provided for the reference image display unit109 and the image transferring unit 111, respectively, and the image canbe referred to or transferred by using a plurality of image processinformation.

By the above construction, such a selective use that at the time ofreference, the image in which the noises are suppressed is referred toalthough an after-image remains, and at the time of film output, theimage in which the noises of a certain extent are permitted and theafter-image is suppressed is output can be performed. If there are aplurality of transfer destinations, the image process changing unit 104and the image process information storing unit 107 may be provided incorrespondence to each of the transfer destinations, a change(adjustment) of the image process corresponding to the transferdestination is performed, and the image can be transferred by using theimage process information obtained by the change.

In the reference image instructing unit 110 and the transfer imageinstructing unit 112, a method of instructing start and end positions offrames which are selected on a time line as illustrated in FIG. 6, amethod of instructing the reference/transfer every frame as illustratedin FIG. 7, or the like is considered. The instructing units are notlimited to those methods.

Embodiment 2

An image process (recursive process) for synthesizing an image in a timebase direction as one of the image processes which are changed(adjusted) in the image process changing unit 104 will be described. Therecursive process is such an image process that a coefficient a ismultiplied to an input frame In(x) and a one-precedent frame outputOut(x−1) and obtained outputs are recursively added.

In the case where the raw image is stored like an invention, in order toreproduce the image at the time of the instantaneous display byperforming the recursive process, if all frames precedent to anarbitrary frame are not added, such an image cannot be reproduced.However, the larger a frame number difference is, the smaller aninfluence of the precedent frames is although it depends on a weight ofthe coefficient a. Therefore, in the invention, it is assumed that it issufficient to add the frames from the N-precedent frame. However, whenan arbitrary frame number is less than N, since the number of images isinherently small, it is sufficient to add the existing frames. If therecursive-processed frames exist within N frames from the arbitraryframe, it is sufficient to recursive-process only the framescorresponding to the difference from the relevant frame.

That is, in a designated arbitrary frame group:

(1) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is less than N, therecursive process is executed to the frames within a range from the headframe to the present frame.

(2) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is equal to or largerthan N, the recursive process is executed to the frames within a rangefrom the N-precedent frame of the present frame to the present frame.

(3) If recursive-processed frames exist within (N−1) frames before thepresent frame, the relevant frame is set to an initial image and therecursive process is executed to the frames within a range from theframe next to the relevant frame to the present frame.

Examples in the above cases (1) to (3) will now be described. It isassumed that images A1 to A12 were radiographed and stored asillustrated in FIG. 9. It is assumed that the images A2, A10, and A12were selected and, further, N=4.

(I) The image A2 corresponds to the above case (1) and therecursive-processed image of A2 is formed by recursive-processing theimages A1 and A2.

(II) The image A10 corresponds to the above case (2) and therecursive-processed image of A10 is formed by recursive-processing theimages by using A6 to A10.

(III) The image A12 corresponds to the above case (3) and since theimage A10 has already existed, the recursive-processed image of A12 isformed by recursive-processing the images A11 and A12 on the basis ofthe recursive-processed image of A10.

At this time, as management information of the frames, the images aremanaged as follows:

-   -   (a) unnecessary image (S);    -   (b) image which is recursive-processed but is not output (I); or    -   (c) image which is recursive-processed and is output (O).

In the above examples, the images A1 to A12 are managed as illustratedin FIG. 10. Although a method of previously storing all images in orderto perform the recursive process as mentioned above may be used,actually, since the frames necessary for the selected frames are onlythe images of I and O excluding the images of S, a method of storingonly the images of I and O at the stage of storing can be also used.

In accordance with the above classification, the reference image displayunit 109 or the image transferring unit 111 executes processes asfollows to the arbitrary frame group designated by the reference imageinstructing unit 110 or the transfer image instructing unit 112.

(1) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is less than N, therecursive process is executed to the frames within a range from the headframe to the present frame.

(2) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is equal to or largerthan N, the recursive process is executed to the frames within a rangefrom the N-precedent frame of the present frame to the present frame.

(3) If recursive-processed frames exist within (N−1) frames before thepresent frame, the present frame is set to an initial image and therecursive process is executed to the frames within a range from theframe next to the relevant frame to the present frame.

In accordance with the above classification, the raw image storing unit105 executes processes as follows to the arbitrary frame groupdesignated by the arbitrary image storage instructing unit 1102.

(1) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is less than N, theframes within a range from the head frame to the present frame arestored.

(2) If no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before thepresent frame and the number of the present frame is equal to or largerthan N, the frames within a range from the N-precedent frame of thepresent frame to the present frame are stored.

(3) If recursive-processed frames exist within (N−1) frames before thepresent frame, the frames within a range from the frame next to therelevant frame to the present frame are stored.

Other Embodiments

Aspects of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of asystem or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU or MPU) that reads out andexecutes a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functionsof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method, the steps ofwhich are performed by a computer of a system or apparatus by, forexample, reading out and executing a program recorded on a memory deviceto perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s). For thispurpose, the program is provided to the computer for example via anetwork or from a recording medium of various types serving as thememory device (e.g., computer-readable medium).

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control apparatus for fluoroscopic imaging of asubject, comprising: a receiver configured to receive X-ray moving imagedata obtained by fluoroscopic imaging of a subject; a setting unitconfigured to set first and second image processing information; animage processor configured to process, based on the set first imageprocessing information, the received X-ray moving image data; a displaycontrol unit configured to cause a display unit to display the processedX-ray moving image data based on the first image processing information,during the fluoroscopic imaging of the subject; a memory controllerconfigured to store, in a memory, the received X-ray moving image data,wherein said image processor is further configured to process, after thefluoroscopic imaging is finished, based on the second image processinginformation, the stored X-ray moving image data, and wherein the imageprocess is a recursive process and said display control unit executesthe recursive process on frames of the X-ray moving image datainstructed by a reference image instructing unit in such a manner that:if no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames before a presentframe and the number of the present frame is less than N, the recursiveprocess is executed on the frames within a range from a head frame tothe present frame; if no recursive-processed frames exist within Nframes before the present frame and the number of the present frame isequal to or larger than N, the recursive process is executed on theframes within a range from the N-precedent frame of the present frame tothe present frame; and if recursive-processed frames exist within the(N−1) frames before the present frame, the relevant frame is set to aninitial image and the recursive process is executed on the frames withina range from the frame next to the relevant frame to the present frame.2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmitter isconfigured to transmit the processed X-ray moving image data to aplurality of transfer destinations and said image processor isconfigured to change the image process individually in correspondence toeach of the plurality of transfer destinations.
 3. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a storing method instructingunit configured to instruct either a mode in which the received X-raymoving image data is instantaneously stored in the memory or a mode inwhich it is stored later, and if the mode of instantaneously storing theimage data is instructed by the storing method instructing unit, saidmemory controller causes the X-ray moving image data to beinstantaneously stored, and if the mode of storing the image data lateris instructed by the storing method instructing unit, an arbitrary framegroup of the X-ray moving image data is selected and stored as raw imagedata.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said memorycontroller causes all image data obtained by the same radiographing asthat performed to be stored in the memory in the selected arbitraryframe group.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising atransmitter configured to transmit the processed X-ray moving image databased on the second image processing information, to an externalapparatus.
 6. A control apparatus for fluoroscopic imaging of a subject,comprising: a receiver configured to receive X-ray moving image dataobtained by fluoroscopic imaging of a subject; a setting unit configuredto set first and second image processing information; an image processorconfigured to process, based on the set first image processinginformation, the received X-ray moving image data; a display controlunit configured to cause a display unit to display the processed X-raymoving image data based on the first image processing information,during the fluoroscopic imaging of the subject; a memory controllerconfigured to store, in a memory, the received X-ray moving image data,wherein said image processor is further configured to process, after thefluoroscopic imaging is finished, based on the second image processinginformation, the stored X-ray moving image data, and wherein the imageprocess is a recursive process and said memory controller causes framesin the selected arbitrary frame group to be stored in the memory in sucha manner that: if no recursive-processed frames exist within N framesbefore a present frame and the number of the present frame is less thanN, the frames within a range from a head frame to the present frame arestored; if no recursive-processed frames exist within N frames beforethe present frame and the number of the present frame is equal to orlarger than N, the frames within a range from the N-precedent frame ofthe present frame to the present frame are stored; and ifrecursive-processed frames exist within (N−1) frames before the presentframe, the frames within a range from the frame next to the relevantframe to the present frame are stored.